Insulation-removing pliers

Claim 1

A hand tool used for removing insulation from electrical wiring comprising: a. a pair of upper and lower jaws rigidly connected to plier handles, said upper and said lower jaw being pivotally connected for movement about a pivot axis in scissor-like relation, the centerline of said upper jaw means and said lower jaw means forming an angle with the centerline of the handles of said tool which varies from about 15* to about 35*, said upper and said lower jaw including a plurality of opposed cutting element means, said cutting element means including a plurality of opposed, complemental arcuate recesses in said upper and said lower jaw means cooperative to define cutting element openings reducible in size upon closure of said plier handles, said cutting element openings containing cutting means and cutting recess means, said cutting means being beveled to a sharp edge while the cutting recess means is approximately parallel to the outer edges of said upper and said lower jaws, b. insulation peeling means located at the end of said upper and said lower jaw means, and c. insulation slitting means located on said lower jaw means, said insulation slitting means comprising a knife blade means connected to said lower jaw means, the edge of said knife blade means being disposed in a direction generally perpendicular to the plane defined by said centerline of said upper and said lower jaws, said slitting means having pivotal shield means connected to said lower jaw means for covering said knife blade means.